“Roger that. Or anything else you’d like.”
He put bits from everything onto one plate. The cold was pissing him off now. He threw another log onto the burner.
With shaking hands, he opened the bottle of wine with a pop.
“Sounds marvellous,” Carmine shouted.
“Your words of encouragement are so vital to me.”
Again the mound quivered.
Noah poured a tiny amount in one glass and filled up another. He placed them on the bedside table along with the plate of treats.
“Okay. I’m coming in.”
Carmine wriggled into view and held open the duvet. Noah dove inside and wrapped his body around Carmine’s, who let out a yell.
“You’re freezing.”
“Warm me up then.”
To his credit, Carmine rubbed Noah all over. Very enthusiastically.
Noah kissed him.
“Thanks. Food first. Then you can do that again.”
He held the plate to Carmine, who took some bits.
“A picnic in bed,” he said, munching on a grape. “I think that’s a first. It’s like the best bits of camping.”
Now they were in the lowlight again, there was such an intimacy.
Noah studied Carmine’s face.
“What are you looking at?”
“You.”
“Weirdo.”
Noah grinned. Carmine made him weird and he liked it.
He took a tiny sip from his glass.
“Steady on there,” Carmine said. “You need to make that thimble of wine last.”
Noah shoved him. “Don’t take the piss.”
“Sorry. I’ve never known anyone this intense about their craft.”
“I do take it seriously. I’ll relax over summer. I promise.”
Carmine raised an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting we keep doing this until the summer?”
“I think a lot longer than that.”
They stared into each other’s eyes.
